Bradley Whitford, a veteran stage actor famous for his role as Josh Lyman on "The West Wing," spoke about how political campaigns are decided through the perception of candidates who blurt talking points on television through "dueling publicity."
Whitford talked to students on Monday night in Bender Arena and offered former presidential candidate Howard Dean's scream at a campaign appearance as an example of the role appearances play in politics.
He also said lobbyists have approached him in order to get their issues written into West Wing storylines, highlighting the role of the media in the political spectrum.
Whitford shared his thoughts on political talk shows, calling them "pretentious professional wrestling matches."
Whitford also discussed his strong dissatisfaction with the mixing of celebrities and politics.
"Just shut up and entertain me, meat puppet," Whitford said, talking about Ben Affleck's political statements.
Whitford was visibly shaken when asked about West Wing star John Spencer's death, saying it was like his own brother had died.
"Life is too challenging for external rewards to sustain us," Whitford said, offering advice to AU students.
In his speech, Whitford told a humorous story about dining with former President Bill Clinton. After the dinner, Clinton and Whitford stepped outside amidst yells from a man down the street screaming "Monica!" at the two, citing Clinton's affair with former White House staffer Monica Lewinsky. Whitford jokingly told Clinton the man had said "Attica."
After the speech, Whitford took audience questions, confirming he is in negotiations to be in West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin's still-developing show, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."
Becky Prosky, a member of the Class of 2005, asked Whitford if she could run her fingers through his hair. Whitford agreed, and Prosky went on stage to rub his hair.
Joanna Ison, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, liked Whitford. "I enjoyed his speech. I agreed with the majority of what he said," she said.
Other students felt that Whitford's speech was too long and poorly prepared. "I think he made some good points towards the end, but the first 45 minutes were horribly painful," said Bethany Arnold, a junior in the School of International Service, who said the speech was "not focused or coherent at all."
"It was a horrible speech and people started leaving within the first 15 minutes."
Emily Bird, a senior in SIS, disagreed and said Whitford presented himself well.
"I thought he was very intelligent, which is nice to get from an actor now and then," Bird said.
